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Hey Nail Polishes, Lighten Up!

7:57 PM

Not gonna lie, things have been a little crazy on my end. I'm a full believer that everything happens for a reason and we gain a lot of wisdom when we consider we aren't the only ones in the world suffering from pain, misunderstandings, broken hearts, and feeling overworked. Can I get an AMEN to that?

I won't go into details (don't worry, nothing to do with me and the hubs) but I think it's just important to keep our good friends close and to have high standards when we choose who to love. You can fall in love with anyone, so lets fall in love with those who won't hurt us, and lift each other up when we face those who do hurt us. <3

It's ironic because I've really been wanting to "lighten up" the last few days since things have gotten so stressful and overwhelming. I looked through the nail swatches I've been needing to post and realized there was quite a dark trend. My nails are like my clothes and makeup, they have to match how I feel that day. I guess I was on a dark nail kick for a while but lately I've been wanting something totally opposite! So I'll go from darkest to lightest. ;)

First up is Revlon Midnight Affair, a deep navy blue with a bit of blue sparkle to it. It's dark but not black, which is nice. Even nicer, I bought it at CVS for 75% off. Score!

It was a bit hardcore for my taste that week so I added a bit of sparkle with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Strobe Light, one of my favorite new polishes. It has multi-sized circular glitter which reminds me of my beloved Japanese PA glitter polish. Super crazy sparkly and impressively dense!

This one I had to color correct a lot to get the right shade to show up. Not sure if it was just because of the indoor lighting, but the blue in the polish made my hands and the wall insanely yellow in every picture, like a faded photograph from the 70's. I think it turned out decently though. This is what I affectionately call my "Superman" blue. I've been digging those basic, true rainbow hues which are surprisingly hard to find right now.

The lovely people at wowsocool.com were kind enough to send me a new Konad product they now carry, this amazing holographic decal. It's in the same design as from their Konad plates! As you can see, the design is 3D, so it's a bit raised and had no problems staying stuck for the whole week.

Of course pics will never do anything holographic justice but I promise, I was staring at the rainbows on my nails a lot. If you look, you can see the rainbow colors over the whole sticker sheet, from teal at the top to pink, purple, and green at the bottom. ^.^

This is a surprise polish that I found in my cabinet when I was looking for the perfect shade to wear for St. Patty's Day. I knew I had NYX Las Vegas but when I looked at photos online, I realized that it wasn't what I thought it would be and that it's actually not too different than the coveted China Glaze Emerald Sparkle that I had been lemming. GORGEOUS sparkle, isn't it? Love it!

Wow, I didn't even realize I had been wearing so many blues lately. I'm totally not a blue nails person, seriously! This is a polish that came out with China Glaze's re-release of the Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection called Dorothy Who? Pretty cute name, and super hot to wear. I wish it were a tad darker but electric blue glitter polish is still a win in my book.

Speaking of this polish, a sweet reader yoyoechonotified me that my photo had been printed in a nail magazine. It's a silly pic I had uploaded from my cell straight to twitter and the mag hadn't asked my permission. They e-mailed me an apology when I asked about it, but yeah. I still feel a bit weird about it. :/ In any case, thought I'd post the scan.

So much for not watermarking my twitter pics. >.< Anyway, moving on...

This polish is SO LOVE! Another China Glaze, my favorite polish brand, this lovely is categorized as a neon although most swatch photos online are way off. I think my pic is pretty close to how it appeared on me. It's a bright, warm violet with hot pink and blue glitters. It's matte before a top coat but I never leave naked polishes without my trusty Seche Vite. Super pretty and totally unique in my collection.

The sweetest and lightest of this group, Something Sweet by China Glaze. It was from the fairly recent Up and Away collection of pastels. You know how I was saying I wanted a perfect, opaque pale pink? This is one of them. (I also bought Orly Kiss The Bride and looooove that as an almost-white pink too! Thanks for the recommendations!!) It almost reminds me of OPI Mod About You but a lot softer and more wearable.

Finally, I wanted to post pics of what I'm currently wearing, Hidden Treasure from the Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring 2010 Runway Collection. This baby is sooo hard to find! Only one Walgreens in my whole area had it and my hubby was a sweetheart and drove me across town so I could snatch it up. Hehehe.

This photo absolutely doesn't do it justice (just check out pics of this baby over dark polish like at Steph's Closet. SEXYOMG!!) The flakies in this polish glow just like opals. They are duochromed and shine lime green to fiery orange and hot pink. I can't even explain it, but it is not at all dull like in my photo. I got impatient and put it on during my lunch break at work but I have a feeling it will be sooner than later that I'll be using this as a coat over something dark very soon.

Since the weather has been sunny and beautiful lately, it's inspired me to lighten and brighten my nails and I hope that trend can keep going on and reflect upon my mood as well. Hope you guys have been feeling bright and sparkly as well. ^_~

ps- anyone have any good de-stressing tips?

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know that my e-mail is back up! Any inquiries can be sent to frmheadtotoe@gmail.com again. :D

hehe okay now I've finally finished reading the post (my first reply was just to the pictures). PA polishes are my fave in terms of their glitters... very very pretty ^^

that's totally strange about how the mag used your photos without your permission though. >__< at least they apologized, but I still think they should have asked you first... especially since the photo they used was one which identifies you... (unlike the first two, where it just shows their nails and so those people remain anonymous )...

This is long.. feel free to read or not read haha.. I kind of ranted at the end, sorry.

I like that Hidden Treasure color,..Sally is my favorite brand (the under $4.50 ones) cause I'm cheap :P

Yeah..a professional magazine using a pic without permission? >_> nuts.

I love when you said " I think it's just important to keep our good friends close and to have high standards when we choose who to love. You can fall in love with anyone, so lets fall in love with those who won't hurt us, and lift each other up when we face those who do hurt us. <3"

I HAD a best friend since 1st grade..ever since we hit high school, she was always using me as a rebound, saying she'll "change" but never did, extremely flaky..and so on. I keep giving her chances over and over again, and finally last year (our 14th year of our friendship) I just told her that I was just sick of all her BS... It was hard to do it but I'm actually happier now, I was getting too hurt by her over and over.Since then (and since my 1st/2nd relationship) I've made myself have high standards with who I associate with... I know it's bad in a way but it keeps me away from the people who I already know will hurt me or are stupid..etc. lol rant :/

My gosh, Jen! Hope u're feeling better. I'm not sure whether this is the "time of the year" or what, cuz everyone around me is being pretty emo and on some cases - they don't know why they're behaving that way.

I myself am one of those unhappy ones cuz I'm having problem with my bf and I'm having trouble conveying. Yes I have all the evidences and I know I "should" move on but I still love him, so it's very hard for me and it's getting me pretty upset for the past week.

I'm not a very good destressing advice giver, but I guess to think more positively, engage yourself so that you won't have the time to think of unhappy stuff (like watching Korean drama or some comedies). I hope you'll feel better, and me too. I seriously need the strength and I feel so lost :(

Anyways i love your nails, i love the Konad stickers... they looked so nice. Before i read ur text, i was thinking "Wow~ how did she do this?"

Sorry this is a bit too long.. But I hope everyone will be happy.. Life's a bit too short to dwell on the unhappy time :)

Hey Jen, I think this is the first time I'm leaving a comment on your blog. LOVE your blog! I check it every day for updates xD

I was wondering about the pros and cons between Essie and China Glaze. I currently use Sally Hansen's Salon Lacquer (or something like that) and it's so fussy and sensitive! I wait about 1 minute (even 5 minutes!) after I applied two layers and they budge and scuff when I do non-delicate tasks (button, zip, apply lotion).

So I want to move on to a different brand and I saw a deal on China Glaze and Essie on a Soompi survey :D I would just like to know your recommendation.

Couple ways to de-stress: exercise (run/walk around/yoga/stretch) increases endorphin which will make you feel better. Diaphragmatic breathing helps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_breathing) de-stress by increasing more oxygen. And lastly, taking a warm bath with nice aroma can also help, as it increases your circulation, and can be calming depending the oils you choose (lavender is calming). Take care!

Hey, whatever you're going through, I would say AMEN to what you said, i've been going through tough times for almost a year now but hey, we are survivors and this may be a cliche but things do happen for a reason, let us thank GOD that He gave us strength to survive each day! Hope things will be better and be lighter!!! :)

hidden treasure over dark polish looks ridiculous. def wanna see another follow up post when you try it out on your nails! can't wait to grab a bottle for myself ;)

to relax--go to a spa and splurge on a nice package. get a good steam treatment with facial, or a deep-tissue massage (90 mins). it's awesome to be pampered like that...you're able to break away from the daily grind for a couple of hours and totally puts other things into perspective.

i also love bikram yoga. sweating it out, getting your heart rate up and meditating. so awesome for the mind and body. do you have a hiking trail near your house? hiking for 3-4 hours in the woods/mountains is also an excellent stress reliever!

Many of my friends have those types of "friends" too. It's hard to let go of "best friends" who were your friends for years but mostly because of proximity, not because you actually have the same things in common. But you are totally right, you need to stop and think about if that person makes YOU a better, happier person too! I hope you can find peace and happiness through your pain as well. <3

Casey: It's okay to love him but when you know it should end, prolonging the relationship will only make it hurt worse when the inevitable finally happens. Shouldn't relationships feel uplifting rather than feeling "stuck"? Thanks for your kind words hun, and hope things work out for you too. <3

esther k: I personally think China Glaze is easier to work with than Essie (a lot of Essies get thick and goopy for me) but what you really need is a good topcoat. Pick up Seche Vite, it helps nails to dry super fast and glossy! Without it, I would ding my nails all the time too. :)

Askmewhats: Thank you girly, I teared up a little at this. God doesn't ever give us anything we can't handle and how small are we to complain when others have things so much worse?

Suzanne: I don't usually match my nails to my outfits consciously, but I find it often happens. ;D I don't think there's anything wrong with either way. Thanks!

omgosh these are really nice colours! i've always loved your nails ^___^i love your stellar attitude towards life too! God always has a reason for everything, even though we might not understand it.destressing tips- aromatherapy and a good massage yeah!! and some delishhh ice-cream too!!

The Hidden Treasure was so freakin gorgeous that I had to go on a hunt today. I called up 3 different Walgreens' and finally got my hand on one. Strobe Light also caught my attention but that didn't require a 20 minute drive luckily. I always love your nail swatches!

Hey Jen, hope all goes well for you! It is unfortunate that everyone has to go through rough times, but it makes us stronger in our daily lives. I will keep you in my thoughts!

To destress, I would suggest a physical activity to get the endorphins going. It could be something simple and easy like playing frisbee with your hubs/friends. Usually anything that makes your mind distracted would help. Like doing a puzzle (I did half of a 750 piece puzzle during finals when I was stressed), learning an instrument, cooking, etc.

I hope these ideas help! Cheer up, you have a huge support group here for you!

I hope you feel better Jen. I was shocked by the black nail polish because it's so unlike you :p I do hope things will look better for you. I learned the hard way about being choosy with friends because even though you've known someone most of your life, things constantly change and people constantly evolve - hopefully for the better, but sometimes not :( I hope you are going through your stressful time w/lots of love and peace :o

My fave nail polish here is the Something Sweet one!! :D I love pale pinks as well. I'm off to get it when I hit my nearest Ulta :D

About me

Hi, I'm Jen! I've been blogging and making youtube videos since 2008 and have loved encouraging others to feel beautiful in their own skin ever since. I hope you enjoy my beauty tips and reviews, style inspiration, and a bit of my life as a wife and mother!